Ex-Man City star says the only sensible FFP sanction is ultimately irrelevant

Inside a cramped interview room at a Manchester café, former Manchester City defender Danny Mills leans forward, eyes fixed on the microphone. He insists that, despite the fury surrounding the club’s financial‑fair‑play breach, the one essential punishment will never matter to the players who benefited years ago.

Why stripping titles feels hollow

“You can take titles away, irrelevant,” Mills told GOAL, arguing that medals and trophies earned before 2018 hold no practical weight now. He points to his own Carling Cup medal from 2004, saying, “If you want to come and take my Carling Cup medal away, come and take it. I still won the Carling Cup.” The former defender stresses that the real issue lies beyond silverware.

Complexities of a perfect sanction

Guardiola’s 2017/18 Premier League title is the focal point of many proposals, yet Mills warns that any punitive measure will ripple through the football pyramid. A fine matching the £900m “sham” sponsorship figure, he notes, would raise the question of redistribution: should clubs that suffered relegation because of City receive a share?

He also highlights the knock‑on effect for lower‑league teams, noting that a transfer ban could force City to field fourteen‑year‑olds against seasoned League Two sides, while relegation from the Premier League would rob the EFL of a promotion slot, harming twenty‑four other clubs.

Looking forward, not back

“There is no perfect solution in all this,” Mills says, drawing a line at 2018. He argues that retrospective punishments are “incredibly difficult” and that the focus should be on how to sanction the club moving forward. Stripping medals, he adds, is “irrelevant” because the players have already reaped the financial and career benefits.

He likens the debate to revisiting the 1966 World Cup decision, noting that only Sir Geoff Hurst remains alive to contest it. “It would be like going back now and saying, ‘well, 1966, the ball didn’t cross the line, therefore England didn’t win the World Cup’,” he says, underscoring the futility of retroactive action.

While acknowledging that City might not have secured later trophies, including the 2023 treble, without the alleged cheating, Mills stresses that the commission cannot strip honours outside the investigated period. He predicts a “backlash from City – not unreasonably – would be unbearable” if such a step were taken.

In Mills’ view, the club itself must bear the brunt, not the players who already hold medals and bonuses. He concludes that any future punishment will be “incredibly complicated” and must balance fairness with practicality.